ACCIDENTAL translocation is by no means a new way of transporting animals, let alone reptiles, around the country. However, it was certainly the case recently where Durban North snake man, Jason Arnold, rescued a puff adder in the heart of uMhlanga.
The 36-year-old said he suspected the snake had hitched a ride in someone’s engine and landed up in the north. The adder was found in a Marine Drive home last week.
The snake is characterised by its thick, heavily-built body and flattened, triangular head, with large nostrils that point vertically upwards. The body is yellow-brown to light brown with black, pale-edged chevrons on the back and bars on the tail.
“Snakes have been finding their way into some very unusual places lately. The residents were sitting outside relaxing and enjoying the awesome sunny weather when one of them noticed the snake slowly slithering along the bottom of their boundary wall. The snake changed direction a few times and eventually made its way into a nearby flower-bed where it settled underneath a bit of ground cover and remained until I arrived at the home 10 minutes later.
“The snake was very relaxed and not at all fussed by me crouching down within a metre of it to get some photographs. The residents and I were left wondering how on earth a puff adder ended up in uMhlanga, and how long it had been in the area. I can only assume that it got transported there in a vehicle which came down for the Christmas or Easter holidays. I’ve been seeing quite a bit of this accidental translocation sort of thing over the last few years,” he said.
Puff adders are generally found further west.
Arnold added that he could also attribute the translocation to the constant battle against loss of habitat that these reptiles are facing.
“In order to survive they need to adapt, and this often means being forced into residential areas and making do with what little freedom they have left,” he said.
Contact Jason Arnold on 082 745 6375.
